I hope you had a wonderful July 4th with family and friends. Personally, I love this national holiday with its fireworks, patriotic music, and flag-waving parades. It is a great day in America-and it calls for a celebration of the freedom we enjoy in this God-blessed USA.

But I do want to remind you of this: Liberty that is purchased must also be protected. So many Americans have taken a bullet, shed blood, and paid the ultimate sacrifice that we might live as free individuals. We owe it to each of them to be vigilant and stand guard over "the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Liberty can deteriorate if it is not preserved through the generations. So we must stay informed of the issues that might threaten our liberty. We must be involved in the political process so as to be informed of important issues which threaten our values and strive to influence decision-makers who are in a pivotal position to affect our democratic society.

Christians are not always responsible in the political arena of life. There are 60 million Evangelical Christians in the United States and 24 million are not registered to vote and an additional 12.9 did not vote in the last Presidential election. We can do a better job! This is a matter of stewardship and this is why we have voter registration tables in the Great Room at church on Sundays for the next couple of weeks. If you are not registered, correct it Sunday!

Soon I will be sharing with you some help we will provide to point you toward valuable information you need on issues related to Religious Liberty and Moral Concerns. This will be an on-going ministry to enable you to become informed and armed with facts and information needed to make important decisions and to influence the political process.

Let us covenant, as well, to be faithful to pray for our nation and for those who lead us. We need a renewal of wisdom in our country and leadership and this comes only when we rediscover a holy fear of God. The Bible says, "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7). This seems to me to be a good beginning point in our prayers.

May God bless the USA and, even more (as has been said before), may the USA bless God!